reality-tv

Last night, 60 million 'Idol' fans texted, called and Facebooked in their votes for the Top 5 and tonight, we learned whose run was cut shot, but not before multiple plugs for J.Lo's new album, a Lady Antebellum performance, a surprisingly fun Gordon Ramsay segment and a shout-out to Steven Tyler's new tell-all.

Before the night's festivities began in earnest, the remaining five took to the stage for another 'Glee'-wannabe group sing The Turtles' 'Happy Together.' As I watched James, Jacob, Scotty, Lauren and Haley perform, I was struck by what a diverse bunch we've got this season. Though I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool fan of any of 'em, we've got a nice cross-section of musical genres this season, with country, gospel, rock and soul all well (at times) represented. But yes, the group sing was bad. It's just proof that the Top 5 should just be left to do their own thing.

When you sign up for a reality show, you might not realize how much you'll miss your friends and family. On 'The Biggest Loser' (Tue., 8PM ET on NBC), the issue was this: What's more important, the competition or family ties?

Tonight, the contestants divided into Blue and Black teams and the two squads competed in a trivia challenge. The reward was 40 weeks' worth of 'Biggest Loser' food, plus getting to read letters from home.

While it looks like the writer's strike may be coming to an end soon, the folks who stitch together so-called "reality" TV shows aren't part of the writer's union. So one way for the networks to strike-proof their TV lineups is to schedule more reality TV programs. But it takes a lot of work to come up with concepts like Flavor of Love 3 and The Amazing Race 271.